Table 1. Epidemiological studies of eating disorders which include and/or compare rates for males and females – community samples.
| Author | Date | Country | Sample age | Sample description | Data collection procedures | Measure | Overall (%) | M (%) | F (%) | M as % of overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section 1: EDs – overall | ||||||||||
| 1a – Lifetime prevalence | • | |||||||||
| Woodside | 2001 | Canada | 15+ | Community epidemiologic survey | Structured interview generating DSM-III-R diagnoses | • Weighted lifetime prevalence rate of full/partial EDs (DSM-III-R) | * 3.4 | 2.0 | 4.8 | 29.4 |
| Kjelsas | 2004 | Norway | 14-15 | Adolescents completing a school-based survey | Self-completion questionnaire including items designed to generate DSM-III-R and DSM-IV ED diagnoses | • Lifetime prevalence of any ED (DSM-IV) | * 12.2 | 6.5 | 17.9 | 26.6 |
| 1b – current/ past year prevalence | • | |||||||||
| Garner | 1997 | USA | ? Adults | Responses to a questionnaire in ‘Psychology Today’ publication | Self-completion questionnaire | • Reported they thought they had an ED but had not been treated | * 9.5 | 5 | 14 | 26.3 |
| Kjelsas | 2004 | Norway | 14-15 | See 1a | See 1a | Point prevalence of any ED (DSM-IV) | * 5.3 | 2.5 | 8.0 | 23.8 |
| Hay | 2005 | Australia | 17+ | Individuals chosen randomly from general practices | Eating disorder screening questionnaire (EDE-Q) followed by interview | • Questionnaire-based DSM-IV criteria for a current ED | * 3.2 | 1.2 | 5.2 | 18.8 |
| UK National Centre for Social Research (published as Thompson et al, 2009) | 2007 | UK | Adults | Large general population sample | Self-completion questionnaire including ED screening tool (SCOFF) | • Screening positive for possible ED in the past year | 6.4 | 3.5 | 9.2 | 26.4 |
| Section 2: Anorexia | ||||||||||
| 2a – Lifetime prevalence | • | |||||||||
| Rastam | 1989 | Sweden | 15 | All 15-year olds in Goteborg | Brief screening questionnaire and examination of growth charts followed by interviews with school nurses and then psychiatric interview | • Lifetime prevalence of AN full syndrome (DSM-III / DSM-III-R) | 0.40 | 0.09 | 0.70 | 11.8 |
| • Lifetime prevalence of AN partial syndrome | 0.07 | 0.00 | 0.14 | 0.0 | ||||||
| • Lifetime prevalence of AN full or partial syndrome | 0.47 | 0.09 | 0.84 | 10.0 | ||||||
| Woodside | 2001 | Canada | 15+ | Community epidemiologic survey | See 1a | • Lifetime prevalence AN full syndrome (met all DSM-III-R criteria) | * 0.41 | 0.16 | 0.66 | 19.5 |
| • Lifetime prevalence AN partial syndrome (met most DSM-III-R criteria) | * 0.96 | 0.76 | 1.15 | 39.8 | ||||||
| • Lifetime prevalence AN full or partial syndrome | * 1.37 | 0.92 | 1.81 | 33.7 | ||||||
| Kjelsas | 2004 | Norway | 14-15 | See 1a | See 1a | • Lifetime prevalence of AN (DSM-IV) | * 0.45 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 22.2 |
| Hudson | 2007 | USA | 18+ | Nationally representative household survey | Structured interview generating DSM-IV diagnoses | • Lifetime prevalence estimates of AN (DSM-IV) | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 25.0 |
| 2b – current/ past year prevalence | • | |||||||||
| Kjelsas | 2004 | Norway | 14-15 | See 1a | See 1a | • Point prevalence of AN (DSM-IV) | * 0.40 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 25.0 |
| Hudson | 2007 | USA | 18+ | See 2a | See 2a | • 12-month prevalence estimates of AN (DSM-IV) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | n/a |
| Section 3: Bulimia | ||||||||||
| 3a – Lifetime prevalence | • | |||||||||
| Rastam | 1989 | Sweden | 15 | All 15-year olds in Goteborg | See 2a | • Lifetime prevalence of BN full or partial syndrome (DSM-III) | * 0.07 | 0.00 | 0.14 | 0.0 |
| Bushnell | 1990 | New Zealand | 18-64 | General population survey | Structured interview generating DSM-III diagnoses | • Lifetime prevalence of DSM-III defined BN | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 9.5 |
| Garfinkel | 1995 | Canada | 15-64 | Non-clinical community sample | Structured interview generating DSM-III-R diagnoses | • Lifetime prevalence of full syndrome BN (DSM-III) | * 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 8.3 |
| • Lifetime prevalence of full or partial syndrome (lacking only one criterion) BN (DSM-III) | 1.5 | 0.6 | 2.4 | 20.0 | ||||||
| Woodside | 2001 | Canada | 15+ | See 1a | See 1a | • Lifetime prevalence BN full syndrome (met all DSM-III-R criteria) | * 0.80 | 0.13 | 1.46 | 8.2 |
| • Lifetime prevalence BN partial syndrome (met most DSM-III-R criteria) | * 1.33 | 0.95 | 1.70 | 35.8 | ||||||
| • Lifetime prevalence BN full or partial syndrome | * 2.12 | 1.08 | 3.16 | 25.5 | ||||||
| Kjelsas | 2004 | Norway | 14-15 | See 1a | See 1a | • Lifetime prevalence of BN (DSM-IV) | * 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 25.0 |
| Hudson | 2007 | USA | 18+ | See 2a | See 2a | • Lifetime prevalence estimates of BN (DSM-IV) | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 25.0 |
| 3b – current/ past year prevalence | • | |||||||||
| Westenhoefer | 2001 | Germany | 18+ | Representative sample of adults | Self-completion questionnaire | • Current BN (purging/non-purging) | * 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 50.0 |
| Kjelsas | 2004 | Norway | 14-15 | See 1a | See 1a | • Point prevalence of BN (DSM-IV) | * 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 37.5 |
| Hudson | 2007 | USA | 18+ | See 2a | See 2a | • 12-month prevalence estimates of BN (DSM-IV) | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 16.7 |
| Section 4: BED | ||||||||||
| 4a – Lifetime prevalence | • | |||||||||
| Kjelsas | 2004 | Norway | 14-15 | See 1a | See 1a | • Lifetime prevalence of BED (DSM-IV) | * 1.2 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 37.5 |
| Hudson | 2007 | USA | 18+ | See 2a | See 2a | • Lifetime prevalence estimates of BED (DSM-IV) | 2.8 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 36.4 |
| 4b – current/ past year prevalence | • | |||||||||
| Westenhoefer | 2001 | Germany | 18+ | See 3b | See 3b | • Current BED (recurrent binges without compensating behaviour) | * 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 68.2 |
| Kjelsas | 2004 | Norway | 14-15 | See 1a | See 1a | • Point prevalence of BED (DSM-IV) | * 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 50.0 |
| Hudson | 2007 | USA | 18+ | See 2a | See 2a | • 12-month prevalence estimates of BED (DSM-IV) | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 33.3 |
| Section 5: EDNOS | ||||||||||
| 5a – Lifetime prevalence | • | |||||||||
| Kjelsas | 2004 | Norway | 14-15 | See 1a | See 1a | • Lifetime prevalence of EDNOS (DSM-IV) | * 9.8 | 5.0 | 14.6 | 25.5 |
| 5b – current/ past year prevalence | • | |||||||||
| Kjelsas | 2004 | Norway | 14-15 | See 1a | See 1a | • Point prevalence of EDNOS (DSM-IV) | * 4.1 | 1.7 | 6.5 | 20.7 |
| Section 6: ED symptoms | ||||||||||
| 6a – Lifetime prevalence | • | |||||||||
| Garfinkel | 1995 | Canada | 15-64 | See 3a | See 3a | • Binge-eating more than once ever | * 8.0 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 48.8 |
| • Binge eating more than twice per week ever | * 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 50.8 | ||||||
| Hudson | 2007 | USA | 18+ | See 2a | See 2a | • Lifetime prevalence estimate of sub-threshold BED (DSM-IV) | 1.2 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 76.0 |
| • Lifetime prevalence estimate of any binge eating (DSM-IV) | 4.5 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 40.5 | ||||||
| 6b – current/ past year prevalence | • | |||||||||
| Garner | 1997 | USA | ? Adults | See 1b | See 1b | • Vomiting to control weight weekly or more within past year | * 3.5 | 1 | 6 | 14.3 |
| • Abused laxatives within past year | * 4.5 | 3 | 6 | 33.3 | ||||||
| • Took diuretics within past year | * 4.5 | 4 | 5 | 44.4 | ||||||
| • Used diet pills within past year | * 9.0 | 6 | 12 | 33.3 | ||||||
| Westenhoefer | 2001 | Germany | 18+ | See 3b | See 3b | • Current severe bingeing twice weekly | * 1.4 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 64.9 |
| Hudson | 2007 | USA | 18+ | See 2a | See 2a | • 12-month prevalence estimate of sub-threshold BED (DSM-IV) | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 66.7 |
| • 12-month prevalence estimate of any binge-eating (DSM-IV) | 2.1 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 40.5 | ||||||
| Keel | 2007 | USA | 40 | Follow-up of college student cohort | Self-completion eating disorder questionnaire (EDI) | • Current binge eating | * 6.0 | 4 | 8 | 33.3 |
| • Current fasting | * 5.0 | 4 | 6 | 40.0 | ||||||
| • Current vomiting to control weight | * 1.5 | 1 | 2 | 33.3 | ||||||
| Striegel-Moore | 2009 | USA | 18-35 | Random sample of insurance scheme members surveyed | Self-completion eating disorder questionnaire (Patient health Questionnaire ED module) | • Current loss of control over eating | * 24.8 | 20.0 | 29.6 | 40.3 |
| • Current binge eat at least once per week | * 9.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 44.4 | ||||||
| • Vomiting often in past 3 months to control weight gain | * 2.6 | 1.5 | 3.7 | 28.8 | ||||||
*
Original paper does not include figures for prevalence overall, in males and in females, so some calculation (by HS) necessary, and assumes approximately equal numbers of males and females. As an example, Woodside et al (2001) note their sample “was weighted to adjust for nonresponse and to reconcile its age-gender profile with that of the 1991 Ontario census” and in their results that “The prevalence rate (weighted) of full or partial eating disorders for men was 2.0% compared with 4.8% for women”. No (base) numbers are provided. Assuming equal sized samples of, for example, 1,000, these percentages translate into 20 men and 48 women. This is a total of 68 with EDs out of 2,000, which is 3.4% of the overall sample with an ED. It is 20 men out of 68, which means 29.4% of those with EDs were men.